Distribution connecting module

ABSTRACT

The distribution connecting module for telecommunications and data systems technology, comprises a housing inside of which input and output contacts for connecting lines and wires are placed, said contacts being accessible from the exterior. The housing is provided with a cavity inside of which at least one printed circuit board is placed. The input and output contacts are situated on the opposing faces of the housing. The input contacts are provided in the form of at least one connector strip with insulation displacement contacts. The input and output contacts can be detachably connected to the printed circuit board. The connector strip supporting the input contacts is detachably connected to the housing via a front part. The insulation displacement contacts are connected to the printed circuit board via fork contacts. The connection between the front part and the housing is such that when the connection is released, the connector strip, which is connected to the front part, is, together with the fork contacts, moved away from the printed circuit board.

BACKGROUND

Distribution board connection modules are used in main distributionboards or collocation distribution boards, for example, fortelecommunications and data technology, and are used for connection andjumpering of incoming and outgoing cable conductors.

DE 100 29 649 A1 discloses a distribution board connection module fortelecommunications and data technology, having a housing in whichexternally accessible input and output contacts are arranged forconnection of lines or conductors, with the housing having a cavity inwhich functional elements are arranged between the input and outputcontacts. The input and output contacts are arranged on opposite endfaces of the housing. The functional elements are arranged on at leastone printed circuit board, which is supported in the housing. The inputcontacts are in the form of insulation-displacement terminal contacts,with the output contacts likewise being in the form ofinsulation-displacement terminal contacts, or an electrical plugconnector. The insulation-displacement terminal contacts preferably havea fork-shaped contact, by means of which a force-fitting electricalconnection can be produced with the functional elements. In this case,it has already been proposed for defective printed circuit boards to bereplaced by pulling the fork-shaped contacts off the printed circuitboard. The known embodiment has the disadvantage that this pulling-offprocess is rather difficult, since the fork-shaped contacts areconnected to the printed circuit board by a force fit. Furthermore, theconductors must be removed for the pulling-off process, and must bereconnected again after replacement.

SUMMARY

The invention is therefore based on the technical problem of providing adistribution board connection module for telecommunications and datatechnology and which allows printed circuit boards to be replaced moreeasily.

For this purpose, the input and output contacts are detachably connectedto the printed circuit board, with the connecting strip to which theinput contacts are fitted being detachably connected via a front part tothe housing, with the insulation-displacement terminal contacts beingconnected to the printed circuit board via fork contacts, and with theconnection between the front part and the housing being designed suchthat, when the connection is detached, the connecting strip which isconnected to the front part is moved together with the fork contactsaway from the printed circuit board. This means that the force which isrequired to produce and detach the force-fitting connection between theprinted circuit board and the fork contacts is applied by the connectionbetween the front part and the housing. However, depending on theembodiment, this connection may be produced and detached very easily bymeans of tools. A further advantage is that, when there is a symmetricalconnection between the front part and the housing, the force is alsotransmitted symmetrically and uniformly to the connecting strip. Thefact that the handling involved in replacement of the printed circuitboard is now very simple means that the distribution board connectionmodule can be used universally and allows any desired changes orextensions to applications. It is thus possible on the one hand to usethe module as a splitter for separation of the speech and data servicesfor ADSL applications and to replace these as required if the customersubsequently wishes to have a VDSL application. The printed circuitboard can likewise be reconfigured by means of a suitable layout forSDSL or for pure speech applications. Overvoltage protection, forexample, can likewise be integrated easily by replacement of the printedcircuit board.

In a further embodiment, the connection between the front part and thehousing has at least one screw which is associated with the front partand one thread which is associated with the housing, with the screwbeing fixed to the front part. In this case, there are preferably twoscrews associated with the front part in order to achieve the symmetrywhich has already been described above. The fixing of the screw to thefront part means that a screwing movement of the screw results in thefront part and hence the connecting strip which is connected to itmoving.

In a further preferred embodiment, the screw is fixed to the front partvia a groove between the screw head and the thread but with the screw inthis case preferably being connected to the front part such that it isheld captive. For this purpose, the screw is inserted into an opening inthe front part and is pushed with the groove into a narrowed area. Theconnecting strip is then passed through the opening and is latched tothe front part.

In a further preferred embodiment, the housing has a stop, with theprinted circuit board resting with its end face, which is associatedwith the input contacts, behind the stop in the inserted state. Thisprevents the printed circuit board from being moved out of the housingitself when the connection is detached. The printed circuit board isfixed by the stop, and the stop also absorbs the necessary opposingforces while the fork contacts are detached. In order to remove theprinted circuit board it must then be raised slightly and pulled out.

In a further preferred embodiment, the side walls have guide slots forsupporting the printed circuit board, with one edge of the guide slotbeing formed obliquely. In the embodiment with the stop, the printedcircuit board must be held obliquely while being pushed in and out, inorder that it can be guided over the stop. In embodiments without astop, the guide slots may also be straight.

In a further preferred embodiment, the housing is formed from metal. Inaddition to RF shielding this also makes it simple to produce groundconnections, when required.

In a further preferred embodiment, the base part and the cover of thehousing are separated parts which can be connected to the side walls,with the connection preferably being a screw connection.

In a further preferred embodiment, the cover and/or the base part are/isformed from a spring steel sheet, with profiled forks being arranged onthis spring steel sheet, by means of which the distribution boardconnection module can be latched onto profiled rods. In this embodiment,the cover and/or the base part are/is screwed to the side walls in thearea of the profiled forks.

In a further preferred embodiment, spring contacts are arranged on thehousing, are connected to the printed circuit board, and make a groundcontact.

In a further preferred embodiment, the lower and upper profiled forksare formed from a sheet-metal part, which is preferably screwed to theside walls of the housing.

The spring contacts are then preferably also arranged on the sheet-metalpart in order to produce a ground connection for the printed circuitboard.

In a further preferred embodiment, the housing rear wall is detachablyconnected to the housing. This embodiment is preferably used whenpreviously connected connecting strips are intended to be built up onthe rear face. An alternative option is to design the housing rear wallwith side slots, so that the connecting strips and plug connectors canbe pushed in and latched from the side. If two or more such slots arerequired, then they are preferably introduced alternately on the leftand right on the housing rear wall, in order to have as little adverseeffect as possible on its mechanical robustness.

In one preferred embodiment, cable guides can be plugged into the sidewalls of the housing.

In a further preferred embodiment, each front part has two associatedconnecting strips, and one connecting strip or one plug connector isarranged on the opposite end face. This embodiment is preferably usedfor DSL applications in main distribution boards. In this case, thefirst connecting strip in the front part is associated with the POTSsubscriber boards and the second connecting strip in the front part isassociated with the subscriber, with the connecting strip and the plugconnector being connected to the service provider.

In a further preferred embodiment, the contact elements of theconnecting strips are mechanically supported in the connecting stripssuch that the connecting strips can be connected in advance toconductors outside the distribution board connection module. Once again,this means that it is possible to disconnect the fully connectedconnecting strip from the printed circuit board and to replace theprinted circuit board without having to reconnect the conductors.

The invention now makes it possible to replace the printed circuitboards without interrupting the telephony service. To do this, onecontact on the first connecting strip is in each case short-circuited toone contact on the second connecting strip via a short-circuiting link.The fully connected connecting strip can then be pulled off the printedcircuit board by detaching the front part, without having to interruptthe telephony service.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be explained in more detail below in the followingtext with reference to a preferred exemplary embodiment. In the figures:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective rear view of a distribution board connectionmodule,

FIG. 2 shows a perspective front view of the distribution boardconnection module without a cover,

FIG. 3 shows a front part with two inserted connecting strips andscrews,

FIG. 4 shows the front part without connecting strips and screws,

FIG. 5 shows a perspective illustration of a screw,

FIG. 6 shows a perspective illustration of a housing without a cover andbase part,

FIG. 7 shows a side view of the housing side wall,

FIG. 8 shows a detailed illustration in the area of the thread forholding the screw,

FIG. 9 shows a perspective illustration of a sheet-metal part with lowerand upper profiled forks and spring contacts,

FIG. 10 shows a perspective exploded illustration of a connecting stripfor printed circuit boards,

FIG. 11 shows a cross section through the assembled connecting strip,and

FIG. 12 shows a perspective rear view of the connecting strip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a distribution board connection module 1 having a metallichousing 2 with a cover 3. Four connecting strips 5 are arranged oneabove the other on the rear face 4 of the housing 2, with eachconnecting strip 5 being in the form of an 8DA (double conductor)connecting strip. The connecting strips 5 are fitted withinsulation-displacement terminal contacts which form the output contactsof the distribution board connection module 1. Four rows each having twoconnecting strips 5 which form the input contacts of the distributionboard connection module 1 are arranged on the opposite end face. In thiscase, it should be noted that the expressions input and output contactsare used only for definition purposes, since signals may flow in bothdirections. There is a cavity in the interior of the distribution boardconnection module 1, in which printed circuit boards 6 are arranged,with at least one printed circuit board 6 in each case being arrangedbetween one connecting strip 5 for the rear face and the two associatedconnecting strips 5 for the front face, as can be seen in FIG. 2. Theconnecting strips 5 on the front face which are in each case associatedwith one row are each connected via a front part 7 to the housing 2, aswill be explained in more detail later. The cover 3 has two profiledforks 8, by means of which the distribution board connection module 1can be latched onto profiled rods which are not illustrated. Two suchprofiled forks are likewise arranged on a base part which is notillustrated. In order to achieve adequate strength, the cover 3 and thebase part are formed from sprung steel sheet, while in contrast the restof the housing 2 may be formed from a simple stainless steel. The cover3 and the base part are screwed to the housing 2 via screws 9, with atleast one screw 9 being arranged in the area of each of the profiledforks 8. Furthermore, the housing 2 has openings 10 via which springcontacts 11 can be attached to the housing. The spring contacts 11 arepreferably in the form of two leaf springs which are bent with respectto one another as is illustrated, by way of example, in FIG. 9. The leafsprings are bent away from one another in the front area, thus resultingin an opening area which makes it easier to push the printed circuitboard 6 on. The opening areas are then adjacent to a contact area, wherethe two leaf springs are bent towards one another.

A ground connection from the printed circuit board 6 via the springcontacts 11 to the housing 2 to ground can then be provided via thespring contacts 11. This is of particular interest when protectiveelements such as surge arresters are arranged on the printed circuitboard 6. The spring contacts 11 in this case preferably make contactwith the printed circuit board 6 from the upper face and lower face,although in principle contact on one side is sufficient. The springcontacts 11 may in this case be arranged on both sides of the housing 2or else on one side. This depends on the printed circuit board layoutand on the current levels to be dissipated to ground. Furthermore, thehousing 2 has holders for cable guides 13 and slotted guides 14 for theprinted circuit board 6.

FIG. 3 shows a front part 7 with two inserted connecting strips 5 aswell as two screws 15. As can be seen in particular in FIG. 4, the frontpart 7 has openings 12 into which the connecting strips 5 can beinserted and latched. There is a slotted area 16 adjacent to each ofthese openings 12, at the side. The screws 15 are formed with a groove19 between the screw head 17 and the threaded part 18, with the diameterof the threaded part 18 being greater than the width of the slotted area16, and the diameter in the area of the groove 19 being smaller than thewidth of the slotted area, as is illustrated in FIG. 5. The screw 15 canthus be inserted into the opening 12 for the connecting strips 5 and canbe pushed along the groove 19 into the slotted area 16. When theconnecting strips 5 are subsequently inserted and latched, then the twoscrews 15 are fixed to the front part 7 such that they are held captive,but are mounted such that they can rotate. This means that, when thescrew 15 is rotated in an opposing thread, a movement of the screw 15results in positive movement of the front part 7 and the connectingstrips 5. Thus, when the screw 15 is screwed onto the opposing thread onthe housing, the connecting strip 5 is moved towards the printed circuitboard 6. The insulation-displacement terminal contacts are formed withfork contacts, which are pushed over the printed circuit board 6 andmake contact with the printed circuit board 6.

Before the design of the housing is described in more detail, onepreferred embodiment of the connecting strip 5 will first of all beexplained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 10-12. Theseembodiments allow the connecting strips to be conductord up in advance,and to be connected to the printed circuit board retrospectively.

FIG. 10 shows a perspective illustration of the connecting strip 5. Theconnecting strip 5 has a first housing part 20, a second housing part 30and a large number of contact elements 40. The first housing part 20 hasclamping ribs 21, conductor guidance eyes 22 and latching tabs 23. Thesecond housing part 30 has latching holders 31 and latching tabs 32.Furthermore, that part of the second housing part 30 which faces theprinted circuit board forms a chamber-like area, on whose inner facesribs 33 are arranged at the top and bottom, as can partially be seen inFIG. 12, with the ribs 33 being chamfered in the front area. Thechamfering makes it easier to push the plug connector onto the printedcircuit board. The contact elements 40 have an insulation-displacementterminal contact 41 and a fork contact 42, with theinsulation-displacement terminal contact 41 and the fork contact 42being rotated through about 45° with respect to one another. The forkcontact 42 in each case has two rounded contact areas 43, which arecurved inwards. The insulation-displacement terminal contacts 41 of thecontact elements 40 are plugged into holders between the clamping ribs21, where they are fixed mechanically. The second housing part 30 isthen latched onto the first housing part 20, with the latching tabs 23engaging in the latching holders 31. Furthermore, the contact elements40 are mechanically supported on the lower edges 44 and/or lower edge 45of the insulation-displacement terminal contacts 41 on mechanical stops,which cannot be seen, in the second housing part 30.

This assembled state is illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. In this case,FIG. 11 shows a cross section through the connecting strip, with thecross section being located between two clamping ribs. As can be seen inparticular in FIG. 11, the lower edge 45 rests on a stop on the secondhousing part 30. The contact elements 40 are in this case mechanicallyheld in the connecting strip 5 such that they are held captive, so that,in this state, a conductor can be connected to aninsulation-displacement terminal contact 41 without the connectionforces being able to push the contact element 40 out. The mechanicalconnection forces are in this case absorbed by the mechanical stops inthe second housing part 30. The height of the ribs 33 is designed suchthat the contact areas 43 project. This ensures that an adequate contactpressure is produced between the contact area 43 and a contact pad whichis arranged on the printed circuit board.

FIG. 6 shows the housing 2 in perspective without a cover and base part.The housing 2 has two end surfaces 50 in the front area. Four threads 51are incorporated in each end surface 50, into which the screws 15 can bescrewed. There are openings 52 in the side walls, into which the cableguides 13 can be inserted. Furthermore, heat losses which are producedby the functional elements on the printed circuit board can bedissipated via the openings 52. Furthermore, openings 10 can be seen forthe spring contacts. The side walls each have two indentations 53, inwhich the slotted guides 14 are incorporated, whose precise profile canbe seen better in FIG. 7. This shows that the upper edge of the guideslot 14 runs obliquely downwards in order then to merge into ahorizontal area. This allows a printed circuit to be guided obliquelyupwards from the front face until it drops behind the stop 54. The stop54 is illustrated in an enlaged form in FIG. 8. In this case, the stop54 projects somewhat beyond the imaginary center line of the thread 51.In the inserted state, the printed circuit board then rests on the loweredge of the guide slot 14, so that its end face is located underneaththe stop 54. In the central area, the housing has webs 55 which pointinwards and have openings 56 with a thread, via which the cover and basepart are screwed to the housing 2. The rear wall 57 has openings 58which are similar to the openings 12 in the front part 7. The connectingstrips 5 can then be inserted and latched into these openings 12.

FIG. 9 shows one possible embodiment of a sheet-metal part 60, by meansof which profiled forks 8 and spring contacts 11 can be produced in acommon component. The profiled forks 8 are in this case bent in aU-shape in the rear area and then merge into a web 61, from which thespring contacts 11 originate. This U-shaped area can then absorb thebending forces which occur during latching onto the profiled rods 62,without the spring contacts 11 having to bend. The sheet-metal part 60can then be screwed to the housing via the openings 63 in the web 61. Inthis embodiment, there is then no longer any need for the cover and basepart to be composed of a sprung metal but, like the rest of the housing,they may be formed from simple stainless steel. In this case, it is alsopossible for the cover, the base part and the rest of the housing to beformed integrally.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

-   1) Distribution board connection module-   2) Housing-   3) Cover-   4) Rear face-   5) Connecting strip-   6) Printed circuit board-   7) Front part-   8) Profiled forks-   9) Screws-   10) Opening-   11) Spring contact-   12) Openings-   13) Cable guide-   14) Slotted guide-   15) Screw-   16) Slotted area-   17) Screw head-   18) Threaded part-   19) Groove-   20) First housing part-   21) Clamping rib-   22) Conductor guidance eyes-   23) Latching tabs-   30) Second housing part-   31) Latching holders-   32) Latching tabs-   33) Ribs-   40) Contact element-   41) Insulation-displacement terminal contact-   42) Fork contact-   43) Contact area-   44) Lower edge-   45) Lower edge-   50) End surface-   51) Thread-   52) Opening-   53) Indentation-   54) Stop-   55) Web-   56) Opening-   57) Rear wall-   58) Opening-   60) Sheet-metal part-   61) Web-   62) Profiled rod-   63) Opening

1. A distribution board connection module for telecommunications anddata technology, comprising: a housing in which externally accessibleinput and output contacts for connection of lines and conductors arearranged, with the housing having a cavity in which at least one printedcircuit board is arranged, with the input and output contacts beingarranged on the opposite end faces of the housing, and with the inputcontacts being in the form of at least one connecting strip withinsulation-displacement terminal contacts, wherein the input and outputcontacts are detachably connected to the printed circuit board, with theconnecting strip to which the input contacts are fitted being detachablyconnected via a front part to the housing, with theinsulation-displacement terminal contacts being connected to the printedcircuit board via fork contacts, and with the connection between thefront part and the housing such that, when the connection is detached,the connecting strip which is connected to the front part is movedtogether with the fork contacts away from the printed circuit board;wherein the housing has a stop behind which an end face of the printedcircuit board rests when arranged within the housing and connected tothe input contacts, wherein the stop inhibits removal of the printedcircuit board from the housing when the front part is detached from thehousing.
 2. The distribution board connection module as claimed in claim1, wherein the connection between the front part and the housing has atleast one screw which is associated with the front part and one threadwhich is associated with the housing, with the screw being fixed to thefront part.
 3. The distribution board connection module as claimed inclaim 2, wherein the screw is fixed to the front part via a groovebetween the screw head and the thread.
 4. The distribution boardconnection module as claimed in claim 2, wherein the screw is connectedto the front part such that it is held captive.
 5. The distributionboard connection module as claimed in claim 1, wherein side walls of thehousing have guide slots for supporting the printed circuit board, withone edge of each guide slot being formed obliquely.
 6. The distributionboard connection module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing iscomposed of metal.
 7. The distribution board connection module asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the housing includes side walls, a basepart, and a cover, wherein the base part and the cover of the housingare separate parts connected to the side walls.
 8. The distributionboard connection module as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least one ofthe cover and the base part are formed from a spring steel sheet, withprofiled forks being arranged on this spring steel sheet, wherein thedistribution board connection module can be latched onto at least oneprofiled rod with the profiled forks.
 9. The distribution boardconnection module as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least one of thecover and the base part are screwed to the side walls in the area of theprofiled forks.
 10. The distribution board connection module as claimedin claim 6, wherein spring contacts are arranged on the housing, areconnected to the printed circuit board, and make a ground contact. 11.The distribution board connection module as claimed in claim 10, whereinlower and upper profiled forks are formed from a sheet-metal part,wherein the distribution board connection module can be latched onto aprofiled rod with the profiled forks.
 12. The distribution boardconnection module as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sheet-metal partis screwed to the housing.
 13. The distribution board connection moduleas claimed in claim 12, wherein the spring contacts are connected to thesheet-metal part.
 14. The distribution board connection module asclaimed in claim 1, wherein a housing rear wall is detachably connectedto a remainder of the housing.
 15. The distribution board connectionmodule as claimed in claim 1, wherein a housing rear wall has side slotsinto which connecting strips to which the output contacts are fitted canbe inserted and latched from the side.
 16. The distribution boardconnection module as claimed in claim 1, wherein cable guides can beplugged into side walls of the housing.
 17. The distribution boardconnection module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front part has twoassociated connecting strips, and one connecting strip is arranged onthe opposite end face from the front part.
 18. The distribution boardconnection module as claimed in claim 1, wherein theinsulation-displacement terminal contacts of the connecting strip aremechanically supported in the connecting strip such that the connectingstrip can be connected in advance to conductors outside the distributionboard connection module.
 19. A distribution board connection module fortelecommunications and data technology, comprising: a housing in whichexternally accessible input and output contacts for connection of linesand conductors are arranged, with the housing having a cavity; aplurality of printed circuit boards arranged in a stack inside thecavity; wherein the input and output contacts are arranged on oppositeend faces of the housing; wherein the input and output contacts are inthe form of a plurality of connecting strips withinsulation-displacement terminal contacts; wherein the input and outputcontacts are detachably connected to the plurality of printed circuitboards; wherein the insulation-displacement terminal contacts of eachconnecting strip are connected to one of the plurality of printedcircuit boards via fork contacts; wherein the connecting strips to whichthe input contacts are fitted are detachably connected via one of aplurality of front parts to the housing; wherein the connection betweeneach front part and the housing is such that, when the connection isdetached, each connecting strip which is connected to the front part ismoved together with the fork contacts away from the printed circuitboard; wherein the housing includes a plurality of stops, wherein an endface of each printed circuit board rests against one of the stops whenthe respective printed circuit board is arranged within the housing andconnected to one of the connecting strips of the input contacts, whereineach stop inhibits removal of the respective printed circuit board fromthe housing when the front part is detached from the housing.
 20. Thedistribution board connection module as claimed in claim 19, wherein theconnection between the front parts and the housing has at least onescrew which is associated with each front part and one thread which isassociated with the housing, with the screw being fixed to the frontpart.
 21. The distribution board connection module as claimed in claim20, wherein the screw is fixed to the front part via a groove betweenthe screw head and the thread.
 22. The distribution board connectionmodule as claimed in claim 20, wherein the screw is connected to thefront part such that it is held captive.
 23. The distribution boardconnection module as claimed in claim 19, wherein side walls of thehousing have guide slots for supporting the printed circuit boards, withone edge of each guide slot being formed obliquely.
 24. The distributionboard connection module as claimed in claim 19, wherein the housing iscomposed of metal.
 25. The distribution board connection module asclaimed in claim 19, wherein the housing includes side walls, a basepart, and a cover, wherein the base part and the cover of the housingare separate parts connected to the side walls.
 26. The distributionboard connection module as claimed in claim 25, wherein the cover andthe base part are each formed from a spring steel sheet, with profiledforks being arranged on the spring steel sheets, wherein thedistribution board connection module can be latched onto profiled rodswith the profiled forks.
 27. The distribution board connection module asclaimed in claim 26, wherein the cover and the base part are screwed tothe side walls in the area of the profiled forks.
 28. The distributionboard connection module as claimed in claim 24, wherein spring contactsare arranged on the housing, are connected to the printed circuitboards, and make a ground contact.
 29. The distribution board connectionmodule as claimed in claim 28, wherein lower and upper profiled forksare formed from a sheet-metal part, wherein the distribution boardconnection module can be latched onto a profiled rod with the profiledforks.
 30. The distribution board connection module as claimed in claim29, wherein the sheet-metal part is screwed to the housing.
 31. Thedistribution board connection module as claimed in claim 30, wherein thespring contacts are connected to the sheet-metal part.
 32. Thedistribution board connection module as claimed in claim 19, wherein ahousing rear wall has side slots into which the connecting strips towhich the output contacts are fitted are inserted into and latched fromthe side.
 33. The distribution board connection module as claimed inclaim 19, wherein cable guides can be plugged into side walls of thehousing.
 34. The distribution board connection module as claimed inclaim 19, wherein each front part has two associated connecting stripsconnected to one printed circuit board, each printed circuit boardconnected to one connecting strip to which the output contacts arefitted.
 35. A distribution board connection module fortelecommunications and data technology, comprising: a housing in whichexternally accessible input and output contacts for connection of linesand conductors are arranged, with the housing having a cavity in whichat least one printed circuit board is arranged, with the input andoutput contacts being arranged on the opposite end faces of the housing,and with the input contacts being in the form of at least one connectingstrip with insulation-displacement terminal contacts, wherein the inputand output contacts are detachably connected to the printed circuitboard, with the connecting strip to which the input contacts are fittedbeing detachably connected via a front part to the housing, with theinsulation-displacement terminal contacts being connected to the printedcircuit board via fork contacts, and with the connection between thefront part and the housing such that, when the connection is detached,the connecting strip which is connected to the front part is movedtogether with the fork contacts away from the printed circuit board;wherein the housing has a stop, with the printed circuit board restingwith its end face, which is associated with the input contacts, behindthe stop in the inserted state; and wherein side walls of the housinghave guide slots for supporting the printed circuit board, with one edgeof the guide slot being formed obliquely.
 36. A distribution boardconnection module for telecommunications and data technology,comprising: a housing in which externally accessible input and outputcontacts for connection of lines and conductors are arranged, with thehousing having a cavity; and a plurality of printed circuit boardsarranged in a stack inside the cavity; wherein the input and outputcontacts are arranged on opposite end faces of the housing; wherein theinput and output contacts are in the form of a plurality of connectingstrips with insulation-displacement terminal contacts; wherein the inputand output contacts are detachably connected to the plurality of printedcircuit boards; wherein the insulation-displacement terminal contacts ofeach connecting strip are connected to one of the plurality of printedcircuit boards via fork contacts; wherein the connecting strips to whichthe input contacts are fitted are detachably connected via one of aplurality of front parts to the housing; wherein the connection betweeneach front part and the housing is such that, when the connection isdetached, each connecting strip which is connected to the front part ismoved together with the fork contacts away from the printed circuitboard; wherein the housing has a plurality of stops, with the printedcircuit boards resting their end faces, which are associated with theinput contacts, behind the stops in the inserted state; and wherein sidewalls of the housing have guide slots for supporting the printed circuitboards, with one edge of the guide slot being formed obliquely.
 37. Adistribution board connection module for telecommunications and datatechnology, comprising: a housing extending from a first side to asecond side, the housing defining a cavity and a plurality of stops; aplurality of printed circuit boards arranged within the cavity of thehousing, an end face of each of the printed circuit boards beingconfigured to slide over, drop behind, and rest against a correspondingone of the stops when the printed circuit board is inserted into thehousing; a plurality of externally accessible output contacts arrangedon the second side of the housing to be detachably coupled tocorresponding ones of the printed circuit boards; and a plurality ofconnecting strips detachably coupled to the first side of the housing,each connecting strip holding a plurality of input contacts having forkcontacts configured to couple to one of the printed circuit boards whenthe connecting strip is coupled to the housing, the fork contacts alsobeing configured to detach from the respective printed circuit boardwhen the respective connecting strip is detached from the housing,wherein the stops inhibit removal of the printed circuit boards from thehousing in a first direction when the connecting strips are detachedfrom the housing in the first direction.